


live for today (and don't worry 'bout tomorrow)

by ladyofdecember



Category: Actor RPF, American (US) Actor RPF, Shazam! (2019)
Genre: F/M, M/M, RPF, RPS - Freeform, jasher - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-18
Updated: 2019-10-19
Packaged: 2020-03-07 13:23:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,748
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18874063
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ladyofdecember/pseuds/ladyofdecember
Summary: Asher isn't sure he's ever met someone like Jack and he isn't really sure that's a good thing. But one thing he is sure of, is that he can't stay away.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I don't typically write much RPF or RPS if you will but honestly, I am really into Asher Angel and Jack Dylan Grazer right now. They're both so interesting and I'm really into Asher's music and Jack's strange skateboarding videos and comedy. Just... there's a lot to unpack with the two of them honestly. I'm not sure how long this'll be but I wanted to write something so here we go.
> 
> "When I think of all the worries  
> People seem to find  
> And how they're in a hurry  
> To complicate their minds
> 
> By chasing after money  
> And dreams that can't come true  
> I'm glad that we are different  
> We've better things to do
> 
> May others plan their future  
> I'm busy loving you"  
> \--Let's Live For Today by The Grass Roots

Jack Dylan Grazer was an enigma, a strange kid whose friends often cited him as a jokester and whose professional acquaintances would tout him as a marvel for his age. He was immensely talented, it was true but beyond that, he was very much a diamond in the rough. And how very rough he could be.

Sitting in his hotel room at about half past 3am, Asher Angel was certain now more than ever that Jack was slowly losing his faith in humanity, his faith in people and in the general concepts of fate, the universe, the simple ideals of what was right and what was wrong.

He glanced at him, noticing the way he was all of the sudden nodding off, the phone he held loosely in his hand basically about to drop to the ground below. When it finally did, colliding with the carpeted floor with a loud thump, it did nothing to wake the teen, his chin now dipping down towards his chest as he drifted off to sleep.

Asher smirked and slowly got up from the other side of the bed to retrieve the phone. As he leaned down to pick it up, his fingers hovering just inches above it, the screen illuminated brightly with the notification of a new text message before going dark once more. Asher paused, staring down at it before his eyes flicked towards his friend resting up against the headboard.

After some deliberation though not much, he gingerly picked it up from the ground and firmly pressed the power button illuminating the screen once more. There at the top of his notifications on the screen was a text from some girl's name. It read, “i am going to tell them what you said and everything you did, you dick”.

Asher swallowed as the lock screen went dark once more. He chewed at his lip, wondering who the girl was.

Unable to get into the phone fully without knowing Jack's password, the boy just simply laid it gently on the nightstand and turned to get ready to leave. Thoughts rushed through his mind however. What was Jack doing? Who was that girl? Why was she so pissed? What did he do?

That nagging worry in the back of his mind rang through once more, just as it always did late at night like this. 

Did he even know Jack at all? Or was he kidding himself?

The teen grabbed his stuff from the desk and headed towards the hotel door, intent on heading back to his own room. He really needed to crash and he wasn't about to pass out here and get an earful first thing in the morning by his mother. 

One final glance at Jack's unconscious form before shutting the door and he was on his way back down the hall.

…

Two Years Ago

Staring out the window at the dusty desert sands passing by, Asher couldn't help but feel excitement begin to swell inside of him. No more school life, no more small town, no more watching his idols live glamorous lives and him just waiting on the sidelines for his life to begin. 

No more Arizona, period.

The cacti seemed to multiply in numbers the farther they got out of town and the setting sun on the horizon seemed to cast a calming, orange and yellow hue on everything. It was beautiful, he had to admit but still, he couldn't get Los Angeles out of his mind.

His mother was behind the wheel, his sister in front and him all by his lonesome in the back seat next to the piles and piles of luggage. They were heading to the airport to catch an 8pm flight out to L.A. so he could finally take a real stab at his music career.

Sure, he'd been hopping back and forth on flights for the last two years or so, doing casting calls and not to mention being on set to film his scenes on the TV show Andi Mack but this was different. This seemed... permanent. 

They still had their house and didn't plan on selling it just yet but Asher couldn't help but think a permanent set up in LA was just around the corner. After all, he had a big movie audition set up later this week. If he landed one of the lead parts in this movie, they'd be set for a good, long time.

As the sun finally slunk it's way down beneath the distant mountains, darkness began to creep in all around them. Asher leaned back in his seat, trying to take deep breaths and calm his nerves that were beginning to swell in his chest.

What if he didn't get the role? What if... he never got another role again? What if he was just kidding himself and his so-called “music career” never came about?

He shut his eyes, trying to dismiss the negative thoughts filling his head. They still had a bit of a drive to the airport. Maybe he'd just try to catch some sleep to quell his anxiety.

This was the right move, he was sure of it. And if not, well, he could always come back to the desert.

…

Getting the role of a lifetime, one of the leads in a DC Universe movie, had Asher feeling on top of the world. Not only had he aced the audition somehow, he'd gotten a call back immediately to do another read through with one of the actors they'd already cast, that actor being Grace.

She was playing the part of a sort of older sister and hence had taken on the sort of role of it in real life too. 

They were hanging out on set, just taking a look around since the schedule for the day had been canceled last minute. Almost all of the crew had gone out for dinner with the plan to return later that night and finish setting everything up. Only the two of them seemed to be hanging around just talking and getting to know one another.

Grace was halfway through a story of the time she tried to fight off some bees and ended up falling down the stairs of her house when Asher realized he was starving.

“So I decided to try to flee or something, right? And I go to run and trip over the garden hose and land face first on the concrete!” She cried with laughter.

“Yeesh.” Asher said, contorting his face as he turned away from her, deciding to grab a bite to eat from the catering table, a smorgasbord of different finger foods.

“Yeah so, just so you know, I'm kind of dangerous!” Grace grinned, before bursting out into a laugh, the kind so infectious that no one could help but join in.

Asher nearly choked on his egg roll as he chuckled along too. 

There was a loud bang sounding from behind the curtain as though boxes or something had fallen over everywhere. Suddenly, a boy appeared, curly haired and kind of gangly, quickly darting over to the table where the two stood.

“Oh, uh, hi Jack. Asher, this is Jack. Have you met him?” Grace asked.

The boy, apparently named Jack, didn't look at him or greet either one of them but quickly began filling a paper plate with all the crab cakes, shrimp and egg rolls he could grab. 

Asher stared, a bit taken back before laughing at the silliness of the situation. “Uh... no, I haven't. Uh... hi? I'm Asher.”

Jack continued piling food on his plate, not giving either of them the time of day, though he muttered a quick, “hey”.

Grace glared at him. “Really, Jack? Do you need that much food?” Clearly, she was fully prepared for her part of older foster sister, already diving face first in to the role.

“Need is an arbitrary construct.”

She placed her hands on her hips. “Well, fine, how about at least saving some for the rest of us?”

Jack popped a crab cake in to his mouth and then spoke around it. “What? I'm hungry.” He shrugged and disappeared against behind the dark, maroon curtains leaving the two of them to stare after him.

“Uh... okay.” Asher laughed awkwardly, unsure of how to take what had just occurred. He'd heard some about Jack, though not much, only the same amount of information about the rest of the cast.

“He's actually really sweet. Don't worry.” Grace said in a weirdly comforting way and smiled apologetically before going to gather her things from her dressing room.

Jack appeared once more just then with the same plate in hand but this time seemingly in search of something to drink. When his eyes fell upon Asher again, who was just standing there, plate in hand, kind of awkwardly, he laughed at the sight.

“What?” The teen asked, feeling self conscious.

Jack shook his head. “Nothing. Sorry. I was just looking for something to drink.”

Wordlessly, Asher motioned towards the back wall where the beverages were all stacked up.

“Uh... thanks.” The brunette said quietly before going to select one and then head back to his dressing room like a hermit. 

Before he completely disappeared behind the curtain once more however, he paused to call out to him once more with a final thought. “Hey... so uh, guess we'll be working together a lot.”

That was an understatement considering the two of them had the two of the three leads in the movie but Asher just quietly nodded and shrugged. “Yeah, guess so.”

“Cool. Well... good to meet you. I'm Jack. Like... like she said. Uh... I'm gonna go eat this now.”

And with that he was gone leaving Asher puzzled at the strange behavior of his cast mate.

Grabbing another egg roll, he couldn't help but think filming a movie was going to be way different than some TV show. Glancing around the dimly lit stage area, he couldn't help but ponder what other new things he'd have to become accustomed to in this career path he'd chose.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry but  
> Don't wanna talk, I need a moment before I go  
> It's nothing personal  
> I draw the blinds  
> They don't need to see me cry  
> 'Cause even if they understand  
> They don't understand
> 
> So take aim and fire away  
> I've never been so wide awake  
> No, nobody but me can keep me safe  
> And I'm on my way  
> \--On My Way by Sabrina Carpenter

She was messing with the denim of his jeans, tugging at the fabric that covered the top of his right thigh as they laid on the green, green grass of the park. Jack looked up at her, trying to seek out her eyes and wondering if she was trying to be intentionally distracting.

Ellie finally met his gaze and smiled brightly in turn making Jack do the same. It was spring time, the sky a bright blue and the weather still a pleasant 70ish degrees instead of the oppressive 90 it got to in the summer.

Standing up from where they sat, Jack sought out his skateboard tucked away close by and began to go try some more tricks on the pavement. Ellie's friends were gathered nearby, playing with her phone likely recording videos or some such nonsense. He paid them no mind as he tried once again an inward heel flip and failed.

There was giggling from some of her girl friends as they rushed over to her where she sat alone now on the grassy hill. Jack turned away to try the trick once again as Robert approached him from the side.

“Yo, you're getting pretty good at that.” He said, nodding approvingly.

“You kidding? I keep fucking falling.” Jack scoffed as he practiced just balancing atop the board for once.

Robert was an okay kid. He was a mutual acquaintance of the two of them, a rare occurrence, as nearly everyone he hung out with lately were mainly considered “Ellie's friends” rather than “Jack's friends”. But Robert had connections in the industry and had actually run in some of the same circles Jack had years before when attending various acting and theater classes. 

He was a year older than him but had recently fallen back from any real industry work. He'd explained at the time that his school work was failing and he needed to take some time out for that but Jack suspected the reason was something else entirely. He suspected he just didn't have it in him to make it work.

It definitely wasn't for everybody.

Robert looked up at him through the curly, black bangs and shrugged. “Better than me.” He then turned to look at everybody else gathered on the hill around Ellie. Side eyeing Jack, he shoved his hands deep in his hoodie as he studied him. “So you really love her, huh?”

“What?”

The question had come so suddenly, the teen wasn't sure he'd even heard him right. He jumped off his board and tapped it with his foot so he could carry it instead. He looked at Robert for clarification of what he'd been asked.

“Ellie. You guys are in love. I can tell.” He said haughtily for someone who barely knew anything about either of them.

Jack squinted and glanced out at Ellie who was taking photos with her friends or some kind of video with her phone. He licked his lips, trying to summon up an answer. Taking a deep breath, he decided to answer the question the easiest way he knew how.

Lie, like always.

“Yeah man. She's pretty great. Everything's great.” Jack agreed, making sure to look the boy deep in the eye and nod and smile.

He seemed to accept this as he returned it and began heading back over to the group.

Glancing around the empty sidewalk with board in hand, he found he didn't even want to continue practicing. Feeling that familiar discomfort of getting too real, too personal with someone and worse, lying, Jack decided he'd had enough social interaction for the day.

He was going home.

...

Jack had decided long ago that revenge was the best success in the face of people who doubted you. Unquestioning steadfastness towards your goals and the ability to ignore whatever dumb shit the people around you were slinging at you, that was the only way to achieve true greatness.

Coming up in grade school, when he was still in the "normal" public school life, he had been the target of many bullies. Between schlepping to casting calls all weekend to the mundane and boring day to day drudgery in school, Jack had soon learned to grow a thicker skin about what people said and not let people's comments affect him.

He was an L.A. baby, born to a once happy family basking in the fabulous glow of the California sun and lifestyle who soon turned sour for a complicated multitude of reasons Jack couldn't begin to fathom the true depth of. Seeing as he had always just been around the lifestyle of the “rich and famous”, he'd really never given any other career path any thought. To him, it was inevitable, just as the pull of the moon's gravity was to the sea, Jack was simply following the path he was always meant to, whether he really wanted to or not.

"So are you talking to anyone?" His new friend Asher had asked him one day as they both sat outside their hotel waiting to be picked up by management and hauled off to some interview god knows where.

They'd been doing a bit of publicity in between filming and though there was still a lot more to get done, the studio had seen it fit to go ahead and begin the “press circuit” as it were.

Jack was staring out at the dark storm clouds in the distance and zoning out so much that he took a moment to snap back to reality and respond. "Uh... sorta? I dunno how to answer that question really." He muttered, wincing at the memory of how things had ended with his last conversation with Ellie.

They weren't fighting, not really. They were just... easily annoyed with one another's quirks. Yeah, that was all it was. Nothing more.

He quickly shifted his thoughts from the unpleasant realization that he was now lying to Asher along with everyone else. That was just something he did not want to do whether they were close or not.

He'd just met the boy but really, there was something special about him it seemed and so of course Jack didn't want to immediately tarnish the relationship with his signature style of evading personal questions. 

Keep it superficial, keep them guessing, be mysterious, these were the things he'd always held close to his heart, these were the tactics he'd used to get as far as he had whether they had influenced that or not.

Regardless, Asher was quickly becoming a friend and if he counted him as separate from everyone else, didn't that mean he needed to be open and honest with him?

The curly haired boy took a deep breath and cleared his throat loudly over the sound of nearby chirping birds. It was a nervous tick he'd developed at some point in the last six months and it had absolutely nothing to do with the sudden appearance of the boy in his life. No sir.

Asher played with a bit of string from his messenger bag strap as he responded, "I get that. I'm not really talking to anyone. I mean... I was maybe for a while. But not anymore." 

Jack watched him as he shrugged cooly and leveled his gaze on the approaching white van. Asher turned and gave him a quick smile before jumping to his feet with his stuff. "Makes things easier, simpler, ya know?"

Thunder rolled in the distance as their van pulled to a halt in front of them. Sam, their publicity manager from DC, jumped out of the passenger side to open the back doors for them.

Climbing inside, Jack wondered if maybe he could use some more simplicity in his life.

…

“And that's a wrap! Everybody, great job!” The director called out with a clap of his hands, going to gather his things from his chair.

Jack smiled as Grace passed him on her way out of leaving the stage. His eyes traveled to Zachary who was high-fiving a few of the grips as he passed by before heading to talk with Mark Strong who seemed relatively relaxed and cheerful now that the cameras had cut. It was the effect of a good director.

As he went to head out of the stage area and out to his trailer, he was surprised by the sudden appearance of Asher out of nowhere. The boy had jumped down in front of him from quite high up on beam in an effort to surprise him, the effect of which had been massively successful.

Jack dropped his bottle of water and it's top burst off, splashing both of their sneakers and causing them to laugh, Asher's laugh uproariously much louder than his own.

“You jerk!” The curly haired boy uttered though he had a huge smile playing across his face.

“Your face was priceless!” Asher doubled over in laughter as he held his sides.

A staff member quickly jogged over to them to begin cleaning up the water and suddenly the Disney star was solemn and apologetic.

“He's such a jerk, right?” Jack spoke to the pony tailed woman who just smiled at the two of them as she cleaned up the water.

Asher, suddenly horrified, began walking out towards the lot where their trailers were. Jack followed, a look of amusement splayed across his face.

“Oh my god, I feel so bad.” The boy uttered as they shoved open the heavy metal door and were blasted with the bright sunlight from outside.

“It's not a big deal.” Jack tried reassuring him as they began walking the lot towards the back where the actor's trailers sat.

Asher didn't seem convinced though he said nothing more about it. “Hey, what are you gonna do now?”

“I dunno. Sleep?” He was exhausted. They'd been filming since 7am but costume and makeup had started at 4am. Nearing 5pm now, he was more than ready to just curl up in a ball and hide from the rest of the world.

Glancing at his friend and the somewhat disappointed look on his face, Jack bumped his shoulder against the other's. “What are you gonna do?”

“Dunno. Thought about playing some Wii.”

“I could get into that, I mean, if you're okay with me dominating you in everything.”

Asher's laugh in response was genuine, his smile good-humored as his eyes darting to seek out Jack's own darker ones. “Yeah right.”

“I'm serious. I'm good, man. Too good for mere mortals.”

“Are you saying you're not a mortal?”

“...yes.” Came Jack's tired reply as they both hung a right and headed inside Asher's trailer.


	3. Chapter 3

After a few weeks of finishing up filming, Jack and Asher (and the rest of the cast) were finally given a tentative green light for some much needed time off and rest and relaxation. It was tentative of course, because that's how it always was in the industry. They were given a bit of freedom in their schedules but warned to be available for any pop-up interviews that may come about.

Deciding to make the most of their time off, Jack's mother had headed home for a bit of a break herself. After all, Jack had Danny Joe or “Lucky”, as he preferred to be called. He was his so-called bodyguard and “manager” though Jack preferred the term babysitter. 

It wasn't all bad. Having Lucky around meant having his mom around way less and that meant freedom, true and total freedom and an ability to let loose.

Asher's mother was way less laissez-faire about things. It wasn't like she was controlling, god no. Nothing like his own mom. Still, she preferred to hang around at least a little close by and thus had kept her room at the same hotel as them though she was booked in the next building over to give him “breathing room”.

Asher didn't seem to mind his mother and sister being around, in fact, he relished in it. It was definitely odd, Jack thought, though maybe that was just the way people were back in desert country.

Silent and dimly lit, Jack's current room at the hotel was nothing to brag about and he'd stayed in a lot better places in his time to be sure. Staring at nothing, he laid on the enormous king sized bed and contemplated what to do until morning.

It was nearing 10pm and he'd already been bid goodnight by Lucky, you know, his nanny. Jack had been left to do as he pleased for the night.

Beside him, his phone buzzed with a new notification making it slide across the sleek, green comforter.

His eyes began to light up as he read over a new text message from Asher indicating he was going to come by after all, despite previously turning down his invitation due to being “too tired”. A likely story.

Just then, there was a knock at the door and the boy scrambled off the bed to go answer it.

“Hey.” Asher mumbled, a laugh hiding behind the dopey, casual smile he kept on his face at all times.

“I thought you were tired and needed a nappy?” Jack mocked in a child-like voice as he moved to let the other boy in.

“I didn't need a nappy, I said... I'm pretty tired. But no, I just had like four expresso shots, so... ”

“Expresso?!” Jack slammed the door and locked it, laughing at the mispronunciation.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, Asher gave him a quizzical look. “What?”

“Uh, it's espresso, desert boy.”

The blonde rolled his eyes as Jack immediately headed towards the mini fridge in the corner. He hadn't had time to fully investigate the room yet except superficially. Now that Asher was here though, the fun could begin! 

His initial judgment and suspicions had been right about the room's quality however as he found the fridge to be completely empty. 

“No minibar?!” He complained, slamming the small door shut. He scoffed in frustration.

Asher raised his brow curiously. “What... did you expect to find in there?”

“Liquor, dude. What are you new?” Jack laughed.

Turning to go investigate the bathroom, his ever-present energy causing him to turn this way and that rapidly, Jack finally reemerged and went to flop himself down on the bed in defeat.

Asher turned to look down to see the boy lying completely still with an arm thrown over his eyes dramatically, his energy levels suddenly seeming to plummet. 

“So what do ya wanna do?” The blonde asked him.

“Dunno. Nothing to do.” Jack mumbled from under his hoodie clad arm.

“Cards?”

“You're obsessed with trying to get me to watch you do a magic trick, aren't you?”

“'Cause it's cool!”

Peeking out from under his arm, Jack smirked up at him before sitting back up and grabbing his phone. “It's way too quiet in here.” He mumbled as he scrolled through his music app.

Queuing up some music on his phone, the curly haired teen connected it to the bluetooth speaker on the desk. He suddenly began crooning and dancing around to the song that was playing. Asher's face scrunched up in disgust. It sounded ancient.

“What is this?” He asked incredulously. “Like, The Who?”

Jack scoffed. “Uh, it's The Grass Roots? Judging you... hard.” He laughed at the teen's offended look.

The dirty blonde watched as he climbed up onto the king bed and began jumping around, sending not only his phone but Asher's hat flying off of it.

Laughing at the ridiculousness of the boy, Asher too climbed up on the bed to jump as well, though not timing their joint movements well enough sent him flying a little too close to the ceiling above.

Jack collapsed down on to the mattress in a fit of giggles and Asher quickly got back down onto the ground in embarrassment.

“Sha la la la la la... live for today! Sha la la la la la... live for today!!” Jack continued singing along to the song, jumping down to Asher's level once more.

He still didn't know who The Grass Roots were but he supposed the song was okay. He watched Jack bounce around the hotel room some more before grabbing his hat from the dining table and coming to place it down over Asher's head causing him to laugh.

“We were never meant to worry, the way that people do, and I don't mean to hurry, as long as I'm with you... “ Jack sang as he took Asher's hands in his own and spun him around the room as they danced.

Spinning him back towards the bed, he watched as Asher plopped down on the bed to sit once more.

Jack grabbed his empty energy drink can and began to sing into the end of it as he locked eyes with Asher, doing his best impression of a dedicated performance artist. “We'll take it nice and easy! And use my simple plan! You'll be my lovin' woman! I'll be your lovin' man!!“

At this part of the song, Asher nearly fell off the bed shaking in laughter. Jack joined him, laughing hysterically and tossing the can back over to the table. 

The song trailed off as it ended and Jack began scrolling through his playlists looking for something else to listen to. Asher too began fiddling with his phone, just looking for something interesting to look at or do.

Jack was suddenly struck with an idea and he grinned at his friend who cocked an eyebrow at him suspiciously. “What?”

Jack smirked and ignored him which only made him more paranoid. “What?!”

Deciding to go live on Instagram and record their boring hotel experience for their “fans”, Jack began streaming himself and Asher live to the internet.

The curly haired boy brought the phone towards him to record both of them in the frame. They began laughing and joking and fooling around for the livestream when Asher noticed just how many live viewers they had. 

“Jesus... that's... that's a lot of people!” 

He looked concerned and baffled which only made Jack grin harder. It was cute and sweet how surprised and still somewhat sheltered the teen was. Bumping his shoulder against Asher's, he gave him a smug look. “Well, you know, my adoring fans, they can't get enough of me.”

Asher gave him a weird look before the two burst into laughter once more.


End file.
